Virtual Hall® installed at the Bibliothèque municipale de la Cité in Geneva

At the heart of the orchestra, in virtual reality

What if one could leave one’s spectator seat to stand on stage, among the musicians? With Virtual Hall®, the public enters a concert hall in virtual reality and discovers the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande from the inside. Thanks to the headset, the immersion is both visual and sonic: spectators can observe the conductor’s gestures, move virtually between the sections and feel the collective energy of the orchestra. This experience does not replace the live concert. It offers a complementary and novel approach: a closeness impossible to experience from the auditorium, which sheds a different light on the work, listening and emotions shared by the musicians.

An experience to discover at the Bibliothèque municipale de la Cité

After the inauguration on 26 September, the Virtual Hall® headsets are now permanently available during the opening hours of the Bibliothèque municipale de la Cité. Installed in the Espace musique, the setup allows visitors to take the time to explore the experience, alone or accompanied, in an accessible and welcoming setting. This presence within the Geneva Municipal Libraries is part of a desire to share: to make the orchestral experience accessible to new audiences and to extend the encounter with music beyond concert halls.

Technology in the service of emotion

Virtual Hall® was born from the ambition to bring the public closer to the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Technology here becomes a mediation tool: it reveals the musicians, their gestures, their looks and the ensemble’s dynamic, while preserving what makes live music powerful — presence, listening and emotion. The collaboration with the Bibliothèque municipale de la Cité thus offers a new entry point into the symphonic repertoire and the world of the OSR, for the curious as well as for music lovers.

Practical information

Location: Bibliothèque municipale de la Cité, Espace musique, Geneva. Availability: since 26 September 2026, during opening hours. Information: agenda of the Geneva Municipal Libraries — https://www.bm-geneve.ch/agenda Discover the Virtual Hall® experience — https://www.virtual-hall.com/en/?page_id=1431 Article written from the note “Au cœur de l’orchestre avec un casque de réalité virtuelle”, published in Nota No. 12 (August 2026 – January 2027). Photographs: © Cybel’Art and Bibliothèques municipales, Genève.